Cover fastener



March 29, 1960 c. M. MosER' 2,930,459

COVER FASTENER Filed Dec. 8, 1955 FIG. 4

IN V EN TOR.

k CARL M. MOSER ATTORNEYS United States Patent-O COVER FASTENER Carl M. Moser, Parma Heights, Ohio, assignor to John C.

The ends or outer extremities 18 of the strap 15 are in- "wardly bent, as most clearly'shown in Figure 4. Thus,

the ends of the strap 15 flare away from the inner side of the cover plate 13 to'permit the ends 18 to' wedgingly housing 10, when the strap 15 is positioned as shown in gg'iden Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of.

This invention relates to a fastening device and is particularly adapted to lock down a cover plate which is intended to comprise'a closure for a flanged channel or similar housing.

An object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive fastener of the type described which is a quick-connect fastener employing no threaded connections, which requires no drilling or lancing or other modification whatso ever of the channeling or housing on which the cover plate to be fastened is to be positioned, and which may avoid projections or protuberances in the surface of the cover plate or the surfaces of the channel with which it is employed so that the resulting assembly presents a most neat and trim appearance.

The invention contemplates the provision of a tabended strap centerlessly and oscillatably mounted on the inside of a cover plate, the plate being cut away at the center of rotation of the strap and being provided with detent projections engageable by the strap edges.

The object and advantages of the invention will be more clearly understood by referring to the following description of an example of the invention, together with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an exploded fragmentary perspective vie of a housing assembly employing the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the center portion of the housing assembly shown in Figure 1, with the parts in assembled but unfastened position.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the parts in fastened position.

Figure 4 is a view in cross-section taken on line 4-4 in Figure 3.

A flanged channel housing 10 of a type with which the invention may be employed is shown in Figure l. The channel 10 is provided with side flanges 11. The ends of the channel 10 may be closed with a suitable closure, such as the closure 12 which is particularly adapted for modular constructions and which is described in detail in my copending abandoned application, Serial No. 520,839, filed July 8, 1955.

According to the present invention, there is provided a cover plate 13 proportioned to extend across the open side of the channel 10. Midway across the width of the cover plate 13 a cutout or opening 14 is provided. Against the inner side of the cover plate 13 there is positioned a strap 15 of springy material such as suitable sheet steel. While the strap is shown in Figures 2 and 3 as having a roughly oblong shape, it will be apparent that it may also have the shape of a disc, or that it may have other shapes not inconsistent with the objectives of the device. The strap 15 is provided with two arcuate openings 16, which preferably have the form of arcuate slots, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. Fixed to the cover plate 13 and extending inwardly from the inner side thereof are a pair of rivets 17. The shanks of these rivets bear against the sides of the slots 16, and the undersidcs of the 7 heads of these rivets engage the face of the strap 15 which is opposite to the cover plate 13.

Figure 3. In this position, the edges'of the strap 15 abut against a pair of detents 19 which project inwardly from the innerside of the cover plate. The detents comprise, as shown, shallow projections which are faired into the inner side of the cover plate 13.

In the center portion of the strap 15 and in register with'the cut-out 14 there is formed a key slot or keying surfaces 20 which are adapted to be engaged by a tool such as a screwdriver for twisting the strap 15 between the positions shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3. Upon twisting of the strap from the position shown inFigure 3, the impedence of the detents 19 is overcome by springy yielding of the strap 15, the edge thereof riding over the detents 19 which, as previously mentioned, are faired into the underside of the cover plate 13."

The sides of the cover plate 13 are provided with depending flanges 21 which fit over the sides of the channel 10. Accordingly, when the cover plate is put in position and a tool such as a screwdriver is engaged in the key slot 20 ot twist the strap 15 from the position shown in Figure 2 to the position shown in Figure 3, the cover plate is firmly locked down against the channel 10. It may be quickly released, however, by engaging a tool such as a screwdriver in the key slot 20 and backing off the strap 15.

The tongues 18 on the latch plate 15 are hidden by the cover plate so that the operator cannot tell by inspection in what position the locking plate rests.

However, as can be seen by comparing Figs. 2 and 3, the arcuate slot and pin arrangement positively prevents rotation of the locking plate past its extreme locked or unlocked position and the detents 19 are in the path of the leading edges of the locking plate at both extreme positions thereof and ofler suddenly increased initial resistance to rotation of the locking plate from either of its extreme positions toward the other position followed by a frictional resistance to turning that ends suddenly when the plate has been fully shifted from one position to the other. Thus the locking plate is readily manipulated so that it is left in either its fully locked or in its fully unlocked position, and, once it is so positioned, the plate can only be turned in the direction that will change its position from one extreme to the other by the deliberate application of force to the plate. The detent resistance, however, can be overcome by application of sufficient force applied so as to rotate the locking plate in the direction that must be the right direction, after which the detents again snap to one side of the locking plate and retain it in its new position. Also, and particularly when moving from the unlocked to the locked position, the leading edges of the locking plate must ride up over the detents, which deflect each end of the plate from the cover when the lips are being carried over the flange;

It will be seen from the illustrated example of the invention that my quick-connect cover assembly does not employ threaded connections and does not require any I 0 example shown in the drawings. The several possible variations in detail mentioned above in the description accompanying the drawings should make this apparent.

It is inexpenasset-as Ed The scope of the invention is defined in the following claim.

What is claimed is: H p n M A detachable cover member for a channel hqusing of t e v n pai ol c p a r myr s fl ehav a predeterminedminimum spacing across the housihg', a resilient cover l'ocking plate rnember, said locking plate member having a length exceeding the predetermined spacing ofthe housing fianges the opposed ends of 'said locking plate having'leading portions flared away from said cover member, means mounting said locking plate member for limited pivotal motion on said cover member comprising a'pair of arcuate slots on one of said members having a common center substantially midway between the ends of saidllocking plate member and a pair of pins on the other of said members, each pin extending through one of said slots to limit thepivotal motion of said locking plate member on said cover member, shoulder means on said pins to engage the face of the member having the arcnate slots to retain said locking plate member'on said cover plate member, detent means protruding from said cover between each end of the locking plate and the associated pin and disposed in the pivotal path 'of the leading edges of said locking plate member when the latter is in its unlocked position with said pins at one end of their respective arcuate slots, and said detent means thereafter being disposed in the pivotal path of opposite leading edges of said locking plate member when the latter is in its locked position with ends of said locking plate arranged to overlie the housing flanges and with said pins at the other end of their'respective arcuate slots, said detent means-int he intermediate position of said locking plate member engagingthe faces of the member and deflecting the end portions thereof away from said cover plate mem' ber during motion of thelocking plate member between its extreme locked and unlocked'positions, and means for pivoting said locking platemember on said cover member from the outside of said cover plate member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

